Countryside & Small Stock Journal articles from July 1999

Countryside & Small Stock Journal archives from July 1999

Country conversation & feedback.
July 1, 1999... How do you bake on a woodstove? COUNTRYSIDE: The articles on Y2K are wonderful. They have lit a fire under us. The first thing we did was to put in our wood stove. I am doing very well with my cooking on it, but I have one problem:...

Eat "fresh" carrots all winter long.
July 1, 1999... I have tried keeping carrots in sand in the root cellar, but they didn't keep very well, and digging them out and trying to clean off the sand that clung to them was a mess. Last fall I just laid down a layer of carrots in a box, covered it...

Evaporative cooling.(use of water fans, or swamp coolers)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: A "water fan" is something I've seen only in greenhouses. Can they be converted to household use? Essentially it is one end wall consisting of a wooden frame covered on both sides with hardware cloth with peat moss sandiwiched...

Make vanilla extract.(making vanilla extract and vanilla sugar)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: Place one or two whole vanilla beans in a quart jar. Cover beans with vodka. Let beans soak for 3-4 weeks. Remove beans. Pour vodka into clean jar through layers of cheesecloth to filter out any particles. Measure the vodka and...

Canning tips Kerr and Ball don't tell you.(techniques and equipment used in home canning)
July 1, 1999... Special feature: Home canning After my letter on food storage appeared, I was besieged with requests for the sample inventory sheets I offered. I was amazed and delighted. Many letters included questions on canning, so I thought it might...

Home canning simplified: "Food preservation has to fit into my everyday life".(canning, freezing, and other food preservation tips)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... Canning is time-consuming, but it needn't take all day... If you're organized, and use some of these tips After putting up food for the winter for 18 years, I was somewhat surprised by the "Planning for Canning" article in 82/4. If I were...

Helpful canning tips from Kerr Glass.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... Here is some practical advice from the Kerr Glass Manufacturing Co., maker of Kerr canning jars and lids. * Use the oldest canning lids first. Leftovers from last year should be the first ones used this canning season. * Do your pickle...

Corn cob jelly.(recipe)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... 12 red cobs of field corn without kernels. (Red cobs make more attractive jelly than white cobs will.) Enough water to cover the cobs 1 pkg. powdered pectin 4 cups sugar Boil the cobs in water for 20 minutes. Strain three cups...

Not all kraut is cabbage.(preparing sauerkraut, and methods of serving it)
July 1, 1999... This old-time method preserves food without canning or freezing Cabbage isn't the only vegetable that makes good sauerkraut. Turnips, rutabagas, white radish, Oriental or winter radishes, Chinese cabbage and firm varieties of lettuce will...

Another way to make sauerkraut.(the preparation of sauerkraut)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... A sweet solution to energy-free food storage Some people are afraid to attempt sauerkraut, as it seems to be quite a complicated process. Follow these instructions, and it will be a success. Start with 50 pounds of cabbage. Don't let...

Fred Harvey's Finnish coleslaw.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... This is a simple recipe. It's important not to deviate except to add a touch more sugar if you like it sweeter, as we do. Fred didn't believe in wasting sugar. Fred Harvey's coleslaw Shred finely one medium to large head of cabbage....

How to make catsup and mustard.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... As with some other homemade foodstuffs, canning your own catsup and mustard can be a money-saving way to enjoy food that is far superior to mass-produced items. As always, these recipes can be modified to suit your individual tastes and...

Cautious canning counsel.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: I had to write to protest one of the six deadly canning sins listed in 82/4:61. Making up your own canning recipes can be done. Just process according to the ingredient that is least acidic or most dense. For example, process...

Making jam, jelly and marmalade.
July 1, 1999... SYLVIA J. MILLER REPRINTED FROM 77/5:12 For generations, making jelly or jam meant adding a sweetener to fruit or juice and cooking the combination until it jelled. Then came packaged pectin. No longer was the homemaker dependent on the...

The homesteader's guide to vinegar.(reicipes for cider and various types fo vinegar)
July 1, 1999... Vinegar's uses are legion and legendary. Here's how to make this elixir yourself. Can anyone tell me how to make vinegar? Mom says Grandma used to make it from vinegar "mother." Is the "mother" used as a starter of sorts?--Nancy Partridge,...

What can you do with vinegar?(vinegar has many uses on the farm)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... Just about anything/ While researching this article, I was struck by the number of references to vinegar in COUNTRYSIDE indices of years past. Most of them, however, were not on how to make it: rather, they were "testimonials" on its use...

Testing vinegar.(homemade vinegar)(Brief Article)(Recipe)
July 1, 1999... Vinegar must be a certain "strength" for canning You can test the strength (acidity) of your homemade vinegar with a wine acid testing kit, with slight modification. Follow the directions that come with the kit, but of course using...

Chickens, vinegar and black boxes.(cider vinegar may keep hens from cannibalism)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... KEN SCHARABOK WAVERLY, TENNESSEE I was intrigued by Sue Pederson's item in the July/Aug '92 issue stating that adding cider vinegar to water stopped her hens from pecking each other and, if she stopped adding it, they would start again in...

Making vinegar in the Depression.(Brief Article)(Recipe)
July 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: In the Great Depression, when you had to make use of everything, here is how we made vinegar. When we made apple jelly or apple butter or canned applesauce, we saved the peelings and cores from the apples. These were put in a...

Vinegar: "When in doubt, use it!".(uses for vinegar)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: Loved your article about vinegar. Is there anything it's not good for? Here are a few gems we've gleaned about it. I'd be willing to bet most readers have their own list, too. Vinegar in the dairy We bought whole...

Make a hard candy ... with vinegar.(vinegar candy)(Brief Article)(Recipe)
July 1, 1999... I'm looking for a recipe for vinegar candy that my Mom remembers. If anyone out there remembers that type of candy, I would sure appreciate the recipe.--Cathy Cacho, Antioch, California Vinegar Candy 2 cups sugar 1/2 cup vinegar 2...

And more on the uses of vinegar ...(uses for vinegar)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: Loved all the information about uses for apple cider vinegar! My sister in Michigan sent me a copy of a recent study showing a cup of apple cider vinegar tea daily is relieving mild to moderate cases of arthritis in more than...

Using green tomatoes.(Brief Article)(Recipe)
July 1, 1999... Green tomato chow chow 1/2 peck green tomatoes 1 quart chopped celery 2 cups chopped onions 1/2 cup salt 1 cup vinegar 2 teaspoons grated nutmeg 1 teaspoon ground allspice 1 tablespoon ground ginger 1 tablespoon mustard seed...

Solar food drying.(drying is a good way to preserve some foods)
July 1, 1999... Canning requires lids, and lots of heat. Freezing takes electricity. For some homesteaders, the best way to preserve food is by drying it, with the sun. SUE ROBISHAW RT 1 Box 52 COOKS, MI 49817 MANYTRAC@UP.NET When I was new to...

Drying apples.(Brief Article)(Recipe)
July 1, 1999... Although one can preserve the most versatile of all fruits -- apples -- by canning, freezing or pressing into cider, they can also be preserved by the ancient process of taking the moisture out of the food, or drying. Drying is practical,...

How we dried tomatoes.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... When I was a boy, all the women in our Italian neighborhood, including my mother, made tomato paste with a method I haven't seen or heard about anywhere else. They dried it. Garden-fresh tomatoes were washed and boiled in huge kettles over...

Some old-time methods of storing the harvest.
July 1, 1999... How did they preserve food before freezers and canning lids? Pat Katz is a former Countryside columnist and author of The Craft of the Country Cook. (See page 43.) This is reprinted from Countryside, June, 1980. Canning, drying and...

Energy-Free Storage of Fruits and Vegetables.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... Most fruits and vegetables from the home garden can be stored one of three ways with very little or, more commonly, no use of fossil fuel energy. On the list below, check the crops in your garden, then begin to make plans for winter storage....

Why the pioneers didn't have dried eggs or milk.(food drying)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... Countryside: Is there any way to keep eggs, besides freezing? I have eaten powdered eggs but cannot find any information on how to dehydrate them. I freeze a bunch every spring to have eggs when the hens quit laying, but with the chances of...

A comprehensive guide to food storage.
July 1, 1999... Advice from someone who's in the business As many of us are preparing for potential Y2K problems, I thought we might share some information we have learned over the last 10 years in "preparing" for what might be. Here in Texas, that usually...

The Garden: Gardening the cheap and simple way.
July 1, 1999... Every year the backyard gardener is put under a lot of pressure to buy rototillers, fertilizer spreaders, exotic fertilizers and all types of gardening products. The best advice to follow is this: "Don't buy a rototiller, fertilizer...

Summertime use of organic fertilizers.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... It's undeniable that plant growth is most rapid during the summer, and that organic fertilizers are slower-acting (but longer-lasting) than chemical fertilizers. So the question arises, is there some natural way that you can make organic...

An easy way to shell beans.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... To save time husking dried beans (like navy, kidney or black beans), put the beans into an old pillowcase, tie it shut, and put it in the clothes dryer along with a pair of clean tennis shoes. Set the dryer on low or air, and let sack and shoes...

Fall gardening starts now.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... "Fall gardening" may be a misleading term. "Fall picking" more accurately describes what you'll be doing when the cool weather arrives. If you want high production from Brussels sprouts, leeks or parsnips, plant the seeds the first week in...

Increase yields with intensive gardening.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... You can harvest a lot of vegetables from a small area with intensive gardening. Intensive gardening techniques include wide row planting, raised beds, square foot gardening, succession planting and intercropping. The idea is to get maximum...

For maximum calories and protein, plant potatoes.(tips on planting potatoes)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... Grown in 130 nations, potatoes are a key crop in the world's diet. (Only corn is grown in more countries.) The edible dry matter of potatoes accounts for a larger volume of the world's food consumption than fish and meat combined. ...

For warming soil, clear plastic mulch beats black.(clear plastic allows more heat into the earth)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... From time to time gardeners suggest using black plastic mulch to warm the soil in early spring or to provide extra warmth for heat-loving crops such as melons. Sounds logical, but the fact is, clear plastic warms the ground much better...

"Trench planting" helps her potatoes.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... Here is a method of planting that helps build the soil, helps eliminate weeding, and keeps the soil moist and cool. I call it trench planting. I use it for my potatoes. I hoe a trench about a foot wide, clown to the hardpan, building about...

Growing potatoes under mulch.(hay protects potatoes and yields well)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... I have come home. I now live in a very rural town in the southern part of Tennessee. This is where I was born but not where I have spent my life. The memories of the times as a child have been very powerful. How we made molasses candy, baked...

Clay pot irrigation.(buries clay pots are efficient and effective)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... With the past three years of very dry summers, we have been experimenting with different methods to conserve moisture in our garden. In some of our reading we found mentioned the use of burying unglazed pots. We modified this historical method...

Caring for carrots.(keeping soil damp is key)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... Thar's gold in your garden... but striking it rich calls for some special techniques When a carrot seed germinates, it's a relative weakling. The tiny taproot and thin cotyledons (seed leaves) are easily defeated by hostile growing...

Special report: The garden laboratory.(when vegetable gardening becomes a matter of survival)
July 1, 1999... If you don't like what Monsanto does with seeds, get even by following Luther Burbank's example! You're a gardener with enough experience to provide all the vegetables your family can use... and usually, enough surplus of some crops to...

The importance of keeping good garden records.(records will prevent recurring mistakes)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... Most beginning gardeners study seed catalogs, select some seeds that sound interesting, read the seed packets, plant the seeds, and hope for the best. Over the years, they learn. Don't plant beets too close together. (Each "seed" is...

The agricultural energy sink.(energetics show that small homesteaders are more efficient than large farms)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... Why "Small is Beautiful" in the realm of food production Energetics is the study of the flow and transformation of energy. This can have several applications for homestead garden experimenters, ranging from deciding which crops provide the...

The "miracles" of plant breeders ... aren't.
July 1, 1999... Many homesteaders today have concerns about plant breeding -- ranging from the disappearance of open-pollinated or "heirloom" varieties to gene splicing to "terminator" seeds. Homesteaders, of course, are a minority: most people think all this...

What is a "variety?".(explanation of vegetable varieties)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... What is a variety? Technically, it's a member of a species with characteristics that differ from the norm. Culturally, it's an ideal of one person or group. Tomatoes provide a classic example. From the infamous tasteless things shipped...

What do we breed for?(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... What's good for Monsanto might not be good for the homesteader According to Professor Bailey, until the 1900s, selection was based more on appearance than on efficiency. He cites corn as an example. "In `scaling' any variety of corn, it...

Market gardening: Market gardeners should start small.
July 1, 1999... Visitors passing through the mountain regions of eastern Kentucky may have a hard time envisioning this largely vertical terrain as a fertile area for farm crops. But people like Wolfe County strawberry grower Donnie McQuinn and Morgan County...

Gardens in the woods.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... Hundreds of years ago, the native Americans who inhabited the mountainous areas of Eastern Kentucky had what could be described as a natural drug store at their feet. The knowledge of how woods-grown plants could be used to improve digestion or...

A basic guide to raising sheep.
July 1, 1999... If you enjoy eating lamb, are interested in working with wool, or just want an easy-to-raise meat animal, here's how to get started Sheep fill an important niche on many homesteads. If you want wool for fiber arts, or if you like spring...

Feeds & feeding: "How much land do I need to grow feed for animals?
July 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: We'd like to know how much land it takes to grow how much feed. We have been searching libraries and book stores for such information. I can find all sorts of info on how to plant, harvest, store, etc. I'm sure the harvest per...

Make your own low-cost lumber.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... Over the years we've noticed several items that are on almost every homestead wish list. One is a sawmill, for making lumber out of trees growing on your own land. But these aren't cheap, and if you're not making a lot of lumber they...

Safety first when operating chain saw.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... If you're new to wood heat, you are probably also new to chain saws. Using one of these time- and work-savers might appear simple, but before you pull the start cord, remember one word: safety. "Chain saws are useful tools, but if not used...

Re-inventing the wheelbarrow.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... I've had a long love-hate relationship with a wheelbarrow--as a builder of tract-housing, as a dairy farmer, and extending to early childhood, when the more familiar term around the house would have been "Irish taxi." There could be little...

Advice on stockpiling medicines.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: A word of caution: Don't stockpile medicines! They can lose their effectiveness over time and may even become dangerous. This is something I have been told. I don't work in the health care field. Likewise, I am not an herbalist, so...

Homestead health: Poison ivy preventative: Fight fire with fire.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... We had cases of poison ivy every spring and summer when we moved to the Ozarks 16 years ago. The plant grows well here. It was the bane of our existence as we worked to clear a garden space, renew neglected pasture areas and inventory our woods...

The many uses of diatomaceous earth.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... Diatomaceous earth (DE) is an organic product mined in the west. It was formed from trillions of microscopic one-celled algae called diatoms, which wove tiny shells for themselves out of the silica they extracted from seawater. As the...

Feeds & feeding: Monitor feed costs and quality.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... The cheapest isn't always the least expensive! Large-scale commercial livestock producers monitor their feed carefully, watching both cost and nutrition. Even small differences add up when you're dealing with large herds or flocks. An extra...

Farming in Alaska.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... The warming trend is definitely here, but it's a two-edged sword In response to the article in 82/5 about Alaskan farmers benefiting from global warming, I thought I'd mention some other aspects of the situation. I am also an Alaskan...

The country kitchen: Doc Salsbury makes sourdough.
July 1, 1999... He's a veterinarian. He has written about sheep. He has shared his vast knowledge of sausage-making. He created a ruckus when he questioned the custom of turning eggs in incubators. He occasionally mentions his interests in black powder, steam...

The subject of homemade yeast rises again.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... One of the most-often-asked questions we've been hearing lately has been "How can I make my own yeast?" (This is in spite of the many references we've made to it in recent issues.) Here's a slightly different approach which sheds more light...

Food with a Florida flair.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... With the large Hispanic population in Florida, there are many interesting and flavorful dishes. Being born and raised there gave me 30 years to sample this cuisine from many places throughout Florida. Cuban sandwich (a personal favorite)...

Home cooking from rural Pennsylvania.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... Baking soda cake Sift and mix together: 2 cups cake flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt Cream: 1/2 cup vegetable shortening 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla Add: 2 beaten eggs Stir in: 3 oz melted (and...

Dr. Chase's crackers and bread.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... We always enjoy old recipes, in part to rediscover long-forgotten little snippets of information and lore of value to homesteaders. These are from a book published in 1866. Dr. Chase's crackers: Butter, 1 cup; salt, 1 tsp.; flour, 2...

Diary of a farmer.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... I am a farmer, and I live on a homestead. It was suggested in a letter to the editor that homesteaders are just wanna-be farmers, and are being pretentious about the way they live their lives. I have no time for pretentiousness. To give...

Just two ducks ...(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... Saturday I loaded up the family and drove one hour and fifteen minutes to an animal/flea market in southern Illinois. I had been there last year and bought our first two Khaki Campbells. (If you like ducks, try these; they really do lay 365...

Food, health and homesteading.
July 1, 1999... There are growing pressures to develop and maintain a food storage program today. The uncertainty of potential Y2K problems, preparing for weather-related events or simply better home security for your family may all be factors. At the same...

Another way of looking at preparation.
July 1, 1999... The rule for hitchhiking through the galaxy: DON'T PANIC The following was written as part of a welcome letter to new members of our buying club, which has tripled in size in the last two months, with even more people expressing interest in...

The most important advice isn't about chicken-plucking.
July 1, 1999... This first appeared way back in the early 1970s. Some things never change... especially when it comes to homesteading! COUNTRYSIDE: For quite some time, I have wanted to write what I am sending you, but just didn't take the time to get it...

Basic soapmaking.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... This recipe can be mixed with an electric mixer. It can also be doubled and mixed by hand with a wooden paddle. Have ready: Electric mixer Two large bowls, stainless or glass (not plastic) Mold: I use a Styrofoam box so...

The larger significance of Y2K.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... The computer bug could turn out to be harmless. But has it already touched our "inner life"? As a subscriber originally from Brooklyn, NY, I want you to know how much COUNTRYSIDE has meant to me in providing practical information -- and...

An un-Y2K event.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... Some people aren't interested in Y2K. But with a little sugar-coating, you can help them -- and yourself Our local Y2K preparedness group was frustrated because fewer and fewer people were attending our meetings. We live in a close-knit...

Listen to your weeds!
July 1, 1999... Native plants can tell you a great deal about your land... if you know how to read their signs When looking for property for a garden or farm, it is important to be able to recognize good land and know how to spot possible danger signals....

Patching clothes.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... If other homesteaders are anything like our family, homestead work clothes need to be patched from time to time. Patching is utilized when the area to be mended is too large for darning, when a bad tear needs to be hidden, when a large...

Agribusiness firms prosper while farmers go broke.(majority of the market is controlled by few companies)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 1, 1999... Several major agribusinesses are making "exceptional returns" while thousands of family farmers are going broke, and a bi-partisan group of 23 farm-state senators wants to know why. The four largest pork packers control 54% of the market,...

Largest farms lost the most money.(Minnesota farms' income down)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 1, 1999... Bigger was not better for farmers in Minnesota's Southwestern Farm Business Management Association in 1998. "The larger you were, the more money you lost," says Erlin Weness, farm management economist with the University of Minnesota Extension...

Banks' Y2K costs rise to $3.6 Billion.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... Since March, there have been very few new developments on Y2K. Some observers attribute this to government efforts to hush up the media, to avoid panic. Others suspect that all pertinenet information has already been covered: now we can only...

Farewell to Florida?(some researchers say melting ice shelves will cause disaster)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... Two Antarctic ice shelves are melting at a rapidly increasing rate and have lost nearly 1,200 square miles in the past year, a team of U.S. and British researchers said. They blame global warming. (See the review of 05/ 05/2000; Ice: The...

Even the simplest things have beccome complex.(1000 patents on diapers)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... Indians used moss. A generation ago, we used cloth. But today, there are nearly 1,000 patents on diapers, covering everything from the amount of elastic around the legs to the Velcro tabs used as fasteners.

Recipes for fun.(recipes for face paint, soap bubbles, maple syrup and more)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... Here are some interesting "recipes" for all of us do-it-yourselfers. Face paint Cornstarch Food coloring Cold cream Water Using a muffin tin, mix 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon water, 1/2 teaspoon cold...

Household hints.(various folk remedies)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... These were given in answer to a garden club roll call recently, and I thought maybe some might be of use to Countrysiders: For homemade mothballs, make small cloth sacks and fill them with leaves of wormwood. Works as well as mothballs or...

The Seasons of Earth and Humanity.(mankind should follow Earth's seasons)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... He runs, balanced confidently upon the sphere, as if his very motions have brought time into existence. The Earth turns morning into night, winter into spring, and production into rest all without the slightest bit of help from mankind. But try...

Productive projects for seniors.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... 1. Gather "squaw wood" (twigs and small branches) under the trees for heating and cooking. 2. If there are limbs from a logging job and you have a small chainsaw and a pickup truck, cut up the waste and haul it home or to those who could...

Make newspapers into "firewood".(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... Countryside: I was hoping you could help me find a gadget that rolls newspapers into logs. Our woodstove gets installed this week. My mom said to save newspapers and roll them into logs; they worked great when she was a kid. What she didn't...